United Nations Security Council Just Voted 15-0 To Sanction North Korea; "The New York Times" Suggested Vice President Mike Pence May Be Launching A 2020 Presidential Bid. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 6, 2017 - 16:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[16:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. And thank you so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with the two top diplomats for the U.S. in North Korea in the same place at the same time. U.S. secretary of state Rex Tillerson and his North Korean counterpart are in the same summit in the Philippines. This comes on the heels of the U.N. slapping harsh sanctions on North Korea over its recent missile tests. Sanctions that were unanimously voted on by the U.N. and could cost the country $1 billion annually.

Secretary Tillerson also met with Russian's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila earlier today. It is the first time the two have spoken since Russia was hit with its own round of sanctions from the U.S. Shortly after that meeting, here is how the foreign minister described the conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We had a lengthy meeting with Rex Tillerson. He was primarily interested, that's what he started with, same details of those decisions that we gradually made in response to the law on anti-Russian sanctions taken in the Congress of the United States of America. We provided an explanation. Actually, this explanation was based on the interview of Vladimir Putin, the channel Russia. Everything was said in detail there.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, Fred, there is a lot for these two ministers to discuss. Not only are those Russia sanctions and the actions that Russia took against U.S. diplomats and U.S. employees cutting 755 employees from the U.S. embassy in Moscow. They have a lot of national security issues to talk about. They talked about Syria. They talked about Ukraine. And of course they talked about North Korea. And the foreign minister actually feels that some of the U.S., you know, beefing up of its defenses the region, that THAAD missile defense system, he says is an impediment to security and stability in the region. So a lot of tension between these two countries.

WHITFIELD: Sergei Lavrov also released a statement about the U.S. sanctions against Russia. And what did he say?

LABOTT: Well, he is saying that this is really an impediment to the relationship. I will read a little bit for you.

U.N. sanctions imposed on Russia became another link in the chain of steps unfriendly and dangerous for international stability. And struck a powerful blow to the prospects for bilateral collaboration. At the same time we are ready to normalize the dialogue if Washington stops the confrontational approach.

And what I think what he is trying to say, Fred, and also what secretary Tillerson was saying, when he opposed Congress passing those sanctions is that these issues about the U.S. Russia relationship are an impediment to dialogue on some of these other issues. But it is true that Russian meddling in the election, this tension between the two countries and obviously all the politics and investigations going on here in Washington are kind of the elephant in the room with these two countries and it's really hard for them to buckle down and get to business. I think that said, though there is a lot of cooperation behind the scenes. I think both countries would like to do a lot more.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elise Labott. Thanks so much.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley spoke out about Russia's ability to vote for sanctions against North Korea, despite the tense relationship right now. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: We should always be hard on any country that tries to meddle in our elections, whether it is Russia or anyone else. And I think that what you saw is those sanctions were a response to the meddling. And we will now see how Russia responds with that. I will tell you that we negotiated with Russia this week on this Security Council resolution. And we were able to find common ground in terms of making sure we had a strong voice for North Korea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now to discuss all of this, Scott Jennings is a CNN political commentator and former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Maria Cardona is a CNN political commentator and Democratic strategy and Balbina Huang is a former senior adviser to Ambassador Christopher Hill and a visiting professor for Georgetown University. Good to see all of you.

All right. So Scott, you first. You know, what does Russia's ability to vote for the sanctions signal, you know, for the future of the U.S. and Russia relationships?

SCOTT JENNINGS, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Well, this whole resolution condemning North Korea and putting a sanction on about one third of their economy is an unqualified diplomatic success for the Trump administration. And while we have difficulties right now in our relationship with Russia, because of their meddling in our election, it is important to understand that on the big issue here of dealing with North Korea, which is a clear and present danger to the security of the United States, Nikki Haley and the Trump White House were able to get Russia in the right place. They were able to get China in the right place. So this is a big diplomatic win for the White House. And ought to feel very good about their efforts.

WHITFIELD: And so Balbina, you know, how do you think the tough sanctions, you know, from the U.N. will actually impact North Korea?

BALBINA HUANG, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO AMBASSADOR CHRISTOPHER HILL: Well, I think that is actually the big question. And so I would argue that it is not really quite unqualified. That it is actually qualified success.

China gets very little out of frankly opposing this sanction. And it gains very little from opposing it. And it is in a position now where clearly the international community is trying to get some action on North Korea. But it is not clear that China will follow through ultimately or completely. And nobody can really deter North Korea from either firing more missiles or another nuclear test.

[16:05:26] WHITFIELD: All right. So Maria, you know, the President is on a working vacation in New Jersey, but he is tweeting. And he said this, the United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 to sanction North Korea. China and Russia voted with us. Very big financial impact. Is this considered a big win for this White House?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I agree with the last person who spoke because I don't think that we can absolutely qualify it as a 100 percent win because there is always the what now. It sounds like Scott and the President are already putting up the mission accomplished banner, when it's everything but that.

The road ahead diplomatically and with every other option is a huge uphill battle. There are very big questions as to what China's going to do, how much they are going to heed these sanctions, what else they are going to say behind the scenes, they have done very little in the past. It's all -- it's been all talk and no action on their part, regardless of what the Trump administration and Trump himself has done and said toward China. They haven't been able to budge China into actually doing more than just what they have just done, which is vote for the sanctions, which is a good thing, but again historically, they have not been good at living up to the sanctions in the past and to the promises they have made in the past, in terms of holding North Korea's feet to the fire.

And in addition to that, we don't really know how much power China has over North Korea, right? This is a leader that doesn't seem to listen to anybody that doesn't seem to listen to, you know, common sense or rationale on any level. So I would be very careful for anybody from the Trump administration to be reading too much into this and to be saying mission accomplished at this early date.

WHITFIELD: So Scott, how influential can the White House be on change in a, when the President has been critical of China's involvement or lack thereof?

JENNINGS: Well, first of all, no one is saying mission accomplished. It will be mission accomplished when North Korea gives up its nuclear programming. I mean, that is the issue here. This White House is dealing with something that no White House has had to deal with. And that is the prospect of North Korea having nuclear weapons that can reach the mainland United States.

Going into a U.N. Security Council vote, there were two outcomes. We get China and Russia on board or we don't. The Trump administration under the efforts of Ambassador Nikki Haley did get Russia and China to agree with the sanctions. It's noteworthy, because China is North Korea's biggest trading partner. If they wanted to kill this thing, they could have. They understand that North Korea is way over the line. So I agree with Maria that China in the past hasn't done all it could do. But right now, the situation is much different. We are at a much heightened state of danger because of the nuclear weapons being able to reach the United States.

So I'm optimistic. But this is not mission accomplished. North Korea has to give up its nuclear weapons. And I think the strong stand that the Trump White House and the Trump administration is taking against North Korea is hopefully going to convince them to do that.

WHITFIELD: So Balbina, the Trump administration is very hopeful. This was Kellyanne Conway this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: A unanimous rebuke of North Korea, the greatest economic sanctions package ever levered against them. It will cost them a billion dollars, even allies in the region like China, Japan, South Korea, all agreeing with the United States that North Korea and its nuclear capabilities must be stopped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So does this further isolationism potentially prove to be beneficial?

HUANG: Well, we have to remember this is now sanction number 16 passed by the U.N. Security Council on those resolutions against North Korea for the last 15 years, just on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. And we have to remember all of those sanctions in the past that never got passed. So I'm somewhere in between. I mean, I think this is an important diplomatic step. It is certainly an accomplishment. And we are moving in the right direction. But this is far from done. And I think again, we have to see where the actions go, not just stepping the resolution.

WHITFIELD: So Scott, how will you measure progress or an impact? JENNINGS: Well, I want to see what North Korea does in response here.

I know the North Koreans met with their Chinese counterparts at the conference going on in the Philippines. And I would be curious to know how they played it with China today. If they test another weapon, I think the United States and China and the rest of the world has to be prepared to go beyond sanctions. I mean, it is true.

[16:10:01] WHITFIELD: Like what?

JENNINGS: -- sanctions on North Korea for a long time. We have to prepare. I think we have to prepare to take out the weapons that they have. That could reach the main land United States. I mean, remember they are testing nuclear weapons that could reach the mainland United States. To me, that's not acceptable. I don't think it's acceptable to the Trump administration. I think they have done the correct order here. They are using diplomatic steps to try to hedge this off. But I don't think President Trump is going to allow a crazy dictator in North Korea to keep aiming weapons at us without us doing anything about it.

WHITFIELD: And when you say take out, you say by use of like THAAD, the you know anti-missile defense system, or are you saying in a targeted measure by the U.S. military or --

JENNINGS: I think all of those options - yes. They all have to be on the table. Look, you cannot allow someone like North Korea to continue to test weapons and flaunt the international community without any consequences. And these sanctions are a clear message from the international community. Look, enough is enough. And if they flaunt that, then have you to be prepared to take it to the next level. And I think that Russia and China voting for these sanctions is a strong message for them saying OK, OK, we have played along here for a while, but you have gone too far. We can't allow you so destabilize the world in the way you have.

All right. Still ahead, the deputy attorney general says the Russia investigation is not a fishing expedition. The latest on that ahead.

Then he tried it once and now he is trying it again. President Trump launching a form of Trump TV as a way to combat what he does fake news?

Stay with us,

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:15:49] WHITFIELD: A new twist into the investigation into the Kremlin involvement in the U.S. election. Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein who appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller to lead the Russia investigation and speaking out saying it is not a fishing expedition. He also talked about what grand jury subpoenas could mean for the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROD ROSENSTEIN, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: In general, Chris, it doesn't tell you anything about the likelihood of indictments because we conduct investigation and we make a determination that at some point in the course of the investigation about whether charges are appropriate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what's the advantage in terms of investigation, taking the case to a grand jury.

ROSENSTEIN: Many of our investigations, Chris, involve in use of the grand jury. It is a proper way to gather documents. Sometimes you bring witnesses in to make sure that you get their full testimony. It is just a tool that we use like any other tool in the course of our investigations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Boris Sanchez is following the story for us, from Washington. Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Fred. Yes, a fascinating interview with the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. He said that this was not a fishing expedition. And voice confidence in special counsel Robert Mueller saying that he knew what the scope of the investigation was in response to a question about whether or not the President's finances were part of the scope of the investigation were appropriate for the special council to be investigating. He said that if Robert Mueller felt like he had to go beyond what he knew was the scope of the investigation, he would have to ask for permission from the acting attorney general, which would be Rod Rosenstein because obviously as we know Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.

As far as the question convening a grand jury, Rosenstein's response was that this was just part of the natural course of events. That it's no indication that Robert Mueller would recommend charges against anyone. We heard from Republicans who essentially echoed that sentiment, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper this morning, reiterating that remark, saying the media had blown this news completely out of proportion.

Then you are Democrats on the other side, including the ranking member of the House intelligence committee Adam Schiff who was also on "STATE OF THE UNION" saying that this is an indication of something. The fact that this investigation has gone on for more than a year now and that it's now moving to bring evidence potentially testimony before a grand jury is an indication that there is something there. Listen to what he told Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Instead, if these allegations are true, it's moving into a new phase with the impaneling of a grand jury, so the special council can subpoena witnesses and documents. That wouldn't be taking place if there was no evidence, no evidentiary basis to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, from what we have heard from most Republicans, they seem to voice confidence in Robert Mueller, though they disagree on where the line, the scope of the investigation would be. A very different tone from the White House. And one of the President's main surrogates in Kellyanne Conway, who said this whole Russia thing is a complete fabrication. Of course, we heard the President call this a witch hunt before. And this morning on ABC, Kellyanne Conway took also shot at Adam Schiff saying that he spends more time on TV than he does actually interviewing witnesses in this investigation, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Boris Sanchez, thanks so much in D.C.

All right. Coming up, a quick response from the vice President and White House after a report surfaced claiming Mike Pence is plotting a Presidential run for 2020? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:23:38] WHITFIELD: The White House is reprimanding "The New York Times" today after the newspaper suggested that vice president Mike Pence may be launching a 2020 Presidential bid, should Trump not seek a second term. The Times report noted Pence's aggressive political schedule and fundraising operations and an official statement from the White House, Pence called the story quote "disgraceful and offensive to me, my family and our entire team. The allegations in this article are categorically false and represents just the latest attempt by the media to divide this administration."

CNN's Athena Jones is joining us live now from up Bridgewater at New Jersey, near where the President is vacationing.

So Athena, any word on how President Trump himself has felt about this report?

ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

No word yet on the President's own reaction to this. We know that the President and vice President speak on a regular basis. But today in talking to White House aide, they won't even say if the two have talked about this particular story.

But it's important to note that multiple officials have been pushing back hard on this piece in "The New York Times" on twitter and on television. Listen to what White House counselor Kellyanne Conway had to say about it this morning on ABC's this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONWAY: It is absolutely true the vice President is getting ready for 2020 for re-election as vice President.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So no concern --

CONWAY: And also 2018 -- zero concern. That is complete fiction. That is complete fabrication. And I know that his advisers who had comments attributed to them, have pushed back very strongly and says the vice president. And as am I right now, unequivocally, vice President Pence is a very loyal, very dutiful but also incredibly effective vice President, active vice President with this President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:25:27] JONES: And I think the operative phrase here was that from Kellyanne Conway is very loyal. Conway and other officials want to make it absolutely clear that the vice President has no designs on the President's job in 2020. And you have to imagine this is something that the President himself would be paying attention to. This idea that perhaps his vice President could challenge him. But officials say that is not the case.

His spokesperson and also his chief of staff, who was mentioned in "The New York Times" story pushed back on twitter last night, calling the story fake news. But it is notable, Fredricka, to see that Pence responding so forcefully with an official White House statement on White House letterhead. It certainly elevates the story in a way. It gives it more oxygen and mote attention.

And we should also be clear that the President has made it -- has been very forthright about the fact that he wants to have two terms as President. He has held multiple campaign rallies in the last several months. And he filed the paperwork to run again very early in his presidency. So that is why we're seeing this very strong push back to this story. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

All right. Let's bring back now Scott Jennings and Maria Cardona to talk more about this.

So Scott, you know, your reaction to the vice President's statement, did indeed, you know, his response kind of give more oxygen to the report something.

JENNINGS: I think the vice President made a very clear statement that he is loyal to this President. That he believes President Trump is going to be a two term President. And look, Donald Trump has made all the moves that you would expect someone who is running for re-election to make. He has got a re-election committee on and up and running. He has had a big campaign styles rallies already. I know it's a little early, historically speaking, but they have been very successful campaign events. And I would be stunned, absent some major issue in the future that we don't know about, if the Republican Party did not re-nominate Donald Trump for President, if he chooses to return for re-election, which I believe he is going to do. So I take the vice President and his staff at their word. And although I think Trump may face a primary, it won't be for Mike Pence. WHITFIELD: So Maria, is it believable that, you know, according to

"the New York Times" that members of the Republican Party have begun kind shadow campaigning for 2020 and it's largely because of the uncertainty of this administration?

CARDONA: Absolutely it is believable. And in fact, I even think it is believable that Mike Pence is actually having these conversations. The very strong push back that you heard from Mike Pence is called political survival. Because he knows that anything less than 189 percent loyalty from anybody working for Trump means that there is going to be a target on their back.

And he certainly is loyal. I want to give him that. I don't think he is disloyal. But I also think it would be political malpractice if Republicans, including the vice President, don't start looking at what the options are when you have a White House that is engulfed in chaos, (INAUDIBLE), disarray and (INAUDIBLE) sometimes literally minute by minute, we have no idea where things are going to be two or three years from now. And you know Trump could be either 10 percent approval rating, he could be impeached, he could be indicted, all of the above are possible. And so again, I think it is actually smart for Republicans to be looking at what could happen, if any of those or all three happen, so that they are ready with somebody to go in case they need it.

WHITFIELD: So Scott, what is, you know, extreme or very appropriate that there would be this very formal statement coming out, you know, from -- with the White House heading the statement from the vice President. I mean, and it is pretty significant. It is not just like a one liner, you know. And it is not just like it was just tweeted out, but it is, you know, it is two, almost three graphs.

JENNINGS: Well, it's significant enough for them to respond officially. And I think they should have because look they are saying that the vice President and his official staff through his chief of staff Nick Ayers who was just sworn in to his job a few days ago, are out plotting some shadow campaign. I think that's worth batting down what it is printed in "the New York Times."

And for Mike Pence, it is a chance to do a couple of things. Number one, to show how loyal you are to the boss, Donald Trump. And number two, again, they get to push the narrative that they think is working. (INAUDIBLE). And so, I think it was a smart political tactic for them to officially respond and I'm glad they did.

I think that to respond to Maria's political comments, I think as long as Donald Trump is sitting on 80, 85, 90 percent approval rating from Republicans heading into 2020, it would be although I think he is going to face a primary from more liberal elements in the party, I just - the chances of him not being re-nominated are slim to none and slams probably are the back of his horse.

WHITFIELD: Maria?

CARDONA: Well, when you are losing, you are - he is losing support especially or specifically from that group that you're talking about, Scott. And in the last Quinnipiac poll which is at 33 percent in general, he has lost and he's upside down with support from the people who actually were his most avid supporters. White working class voters are now looking at him saying he is not doing what he said he's going to do, he's breaking his promises left and right.

And so again, what is really astounding to me, Fredricka, is that you don't have these kinds of stories until the second year of the second term of a president. And so to have these stories six months into a first term underscores how up in the air, how uncertain and how much chaos there is coming out of this White House.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Is it an indicator of something to you, Scott?

JENNINGS: Look, I think that we are six months into a presidency. And as I see it sitting out here in the middle of the country, Republicans are pretty happy with the Trump administration. They're very happy with the role Mike Pence is playing as president. And if everything stays equal, if they move forward and continue to try to work on the agenda, the economy keeps getting better, they get something done on tax reform, maybe they revisit and finally get a deal on health care, if all of those things they ran on come true, the Republican Party is going to be lock step behind re-nominating Trump and Pence.

All right next, the president launches what he calls the real news to combat mainstream media, how the new project underscores Trump's message to his base, next.

But first, a look at this week's CNN Hero. At the age of 14 she was homeless and survived sexual abuse. Decades later, she is living a full life dedicated to helping at-risk youth in Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIUMA BEN YOSEF, CNN HERO: To be homeless in a young age, it's very lonely. When you don't have your family you will always have this black hole. I know exactly what they're going through. I want the children to breathe. I want them to feel alive. I want them to feel secure. I want them to feel that they can be hugged and they will not be in danger. We can see it in a different way and win life. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For more on this hero or to nominate someone you think should be a 2017 CNN Hero, visit our website, cnnheroes.com.

[16:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, President Trump is now presenting an alternative to traditional media outlets and what he considers fake news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLEIGH MCNENAY, FORMER CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, everybody, I'm Kayleigh McEnany. Thank you for joining us as we provide you the news of the week from Trump Tower here in New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): All right, so this is actually President Trump's Facebook page today with a 90-second video featuring former CNN contributor, Kayleigh McEnany as he referred to it as the real news. The video highlights the better than expected jobs report and record breaking highs from the stock market. No mention of the Russia investigation, failure to repeal Obamacare or staffing shake-ups in the administration.

Bill Carter is a CNN media analyst and former "New York Times" national media reporter. Bill, good to see you. So, what do you make of this new outlet?

BILL CARTER, CNN MEDIA ANALYST: Well, you know, it's basically a press release that's turned into a video press release. I mean, most organizations as you know in politics have their own view of things and this is an official Trump view. They're calling it the real news. It's actually the pro-Trump news and, you know, they have every right to do that. They send it out to their people as you would in a campaign. It's more of like a campaign kind of message out there than it is well, here's the news of the day because even if they're touting the jobs report, real news would say, well compared to, you know, how was it in past months and that would, you know, be a little bit more down the middle. But it's not news, its pro-Trump news.

WHITFIELD: You see this primarily as a campaign tool perhaps even for 2020 or just for currently to get the message that this White House really wants conveyed?

CARTER: Exactly. And you know, presidents in the past have said I want to bypass the mainstream media. I want to go through local news sometimes they've done. And of course they do issue daily press releases. This is now using a modern technique, Facebook, and you know, someone who's face has become familiar on CNN who has some association with actual news because she was a commentator in CNN although a pro-Trump commentator. And so you put it out there as their version of the news. WHITFIELD: So how do you see this as potentially threatening the

livelihood of the live pressroom briefings from the White House? Do you see this administration as trying to eliminate the need for that and pushing his Facebook live stream?

CARTER: I don't think so because I think this is definitely aimed at, you know, his base, his audience, and I don't think people who cover the news are going to say this officially gives the answer to anything because they weren't able to question it. They weren't able to put it in context. There's no context here.

I don't see that at all. I think it sort of threatens the commentator's -- the pro-Trump commentators that are on the air because, you know, they are now seen sort of in the same light as Kayleigh was. They are officially pro-Trump people. They're spouting the pro-Trump line and here it is officially presented by the Trump

[16:40:00] organization in the Trump Tower by the way.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and it's in in the Trump Tower. OK, well today it was the 90-second clip, who knows where it goes from here if it will be broadening out or you know. We'll have to see how it goes as it goes. Bill Carter, all right, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

CARTER: Good to be with you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Al right. Well, coming up, an emotional race in London coming down to a photo finish, that one right there. We're talking with champion Justin Gatlin, who just stole the gold from the fastest man in history live right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Thirty-five year-old American sprinter Justin Gatlin who won gold at the 2004 Olympics, upsets Usain Bolt, the fastest man in history, winner of 23 gold medals. He was going for one last championship before retiring. It was a dramatic race, perhaps you saw it at the World Athletics Championship with

[16:45:00] a photo finish in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bolt gets a pretty good start. (INAUDIBLE) Chris Coleman pulling and leading it and Bolt's going to chase him hard. He's not going to catch him at the moment but here he comes. And Coleman still got the lead and Gatlin wins it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow! That was incredible. Gatlin narrowing that race and narrowly stealing the 100 meter race with a time of 9.92 seconds. American Christian Coleman takes second with 9.94 and then Jamaican Bolt takes the bronze with 9.95. Well guess what, we are joined now by the champion himself, Justin Gatlin, from London. Congratulations, good to see you. JUSTIN GATLIN, OLYMPIC AND WORLD CHAMPION SPRINTER: Thank you. Thank

you very much.

WHITFIELD: Wow! So, what a moment, I mean, you could hear the crowd there. We saw you on your knees at that finish, we're going to watch the race again because it happens just like that, but you know, at the end of the race, you were very emotional, and you know what was going on through your mind?

GATLIN: You know, my coaches said run my race pattern and the real race is going to be the second half of the race and it worked like clockwork. I just turned on the jets and tried to get to the finish line as fast as I can.

WHITFIELD: Wow and you did just that, I mean, 9.92. You know, this rivalry between you and Usain Bolt, I mean this was to be his big race right there in London at that Olympics stadium, but this rivalry really spans years. I mentioned year 2004, your Olympic gold in the 100s. But then for the next three Olympic games it would be dominated that race by Bolt. So, any mixed feelings, you know, about that race yesterday knowing that this might be the last big race for Usain Bolt to win another race before he were to retire?

GATIN: You know, I have the utmost respect for Usain and you know, he's pushed me in this spot throughout the years, you know, to be a better runner and to be a better man. You know, the losses that I've had had been lessons to make me a better person on the track and off in a way. We know each other. We have the utmost respect for each other. We laugh, we joke in the moral barrier and it's not just the rivalry we have. We know we are both true competitors and we leave on the track.

WHITFIELD: And we could see that respect, I mean, you were bowing to him, you know, before you all hugged there. That was a beautiful moment. You know, now what? What for you and your career and your goals? I mean, you're 35, he's retiring at 30. But,, you know, you showed you still have some mettle.

GATIN: You know, at this point in time, I'm going to take it race by race and year by year and see exactly where it's going to put me at. I have to vie for the next world championships so these old legs has a pass to be able to go straight to the starting line so, I'm happy for that. And I'm just going to take it and just stay healthy and see where it puts me at.

WHITFIELD: After that race in addition to that moment of you bowing there -- we've got the photo of you bowing to Bolt -- you also kind of put your finger to your lips. There was a lot of noise in that stadium reportedly because of your two suspensions related to doping, you know. What do you say to people who have said that you should not have been allowed to be back on that track and back in the sport after those suspensions?

GATLIN: I think is that I'm a more of a formidable opponent because I came back into the support in 2010. I wasn't booed. In '11 I wasn't booed, 2012 with the Olympics was in London, I didn't get booed and I made the podium. In '13, World Championships in Moscow, didn't get booed. In '14, didn't get booed, '15 didn't get booed, '16 a little bit, and then '17 here I am, you know.

So I think if it was anything that had to do with my past discretions, I think it would have been throughout my whole career up to now and it hasn't been. But I understand it's Usain's last time and I didn't want to steal that thunder from him. He's a great athlete. He's done so much for the sport and I just have the utmost respect for him.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Well, I was there in 2012 in London at that stadium, watching that 100 final race. It was amazing, I feel like watching it on television yesterday. It kind of put me there again because there's dead silence as you all are in your starting blocks and then the crowd just erupts, it's electric, but what an incredible, just over 9 seconds to watch that race. Congratulations, and all the best to you and your future endeavors, we'll continue to be watching you.

GATLIN: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right, Justin Gatlin, thanks so much. Appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's the gun. Bolt out slow. Christian Coleman has two strides on him. Can he reel him in? Christian Coleman trying to win the championship. Bolt at the line. Photo finish. It could be Gatlin as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In tonight's episode of "The Nineties," the CNN Original Series takes a look back at a time when domestic terrorism was on the rise. Along with anti-government groups the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas which faced off with law enforcement during a 51-day siege.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Waco was proof positive to many of this people that this was an aggressive predatory federal government and now we have to fight back like the "Minute Man" in 1776 to bear arms to defend their own rights.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Michigan Militia, a self-proclaimed fighting force of ordinary citizens preparing to defend themselves against the federal government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will be receiving where you head this morning.

JIM CUMMINS, REPORTER, NBC NEWS: There is also an armed militia here in Indiana and at least 20 other states.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had always had a radical right, but in the '90s, it really entered the mainstream. Gun shows became an extremely important venue, not just for selling guns, but they're selling real life Nazi literature along with survivalists handbooks and that kind of thing.

WHITFIELD: That was a clip from tonight's episode of "The Nineties: Terrorism Hits Home."

[16:55:00] CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen joins me to discuss. So Peter, how did the fear of terrorism differ in the '90s than it does post 9/11?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Fred, I think the two difference is one, of course, you know, you have the Oklahoma City bombing, which was the most lethal attack on American soil of the two, which is the 1995 and 168 people were killed including a number of children. And so in that, you know, during that timeframe, as the clip that you just showed, it demonstrates there was a lot of concern about terrorism from the far right which by the way continues.

But another part of the show they will add later this evening is about, you know, the gathering kind of storm coming from the jihadist terrorist side which was gathering steam in the 90s although some people may not have realized kind of the threat it posed. So for instance in 1993, of course, there was the attack -- first attack on the Trade Center building that killed six people.

And then of course in 1997, in an interview with CNN, Bin Laden declared war on the United States for the first time to a western audience. Unfortunately, you know, when that interview aired, not enough people paid attention to it you and a year later had this right wing kind of extremist terrorist kind of theme that was going on and then of course you have this gathering threat from jihadist terrorism that would ultimately culminate with 9/11, but was gathering steam throughout the '90s.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you were talking about the U.S. embassies talking in Tanzania and Kenya and I wonder if terrorism like that poised or assisted the U.S. in how to handle 9/11 once that happened?

BERGEN: Well, I mean, it was an early warning. I mean, here is al Qaeda group that are almost no one have ever heard of blowing up two American embassies almost simultaneously in two different countries, thousands of miles from its base in Afghanistan early August of 1998. Unfortunately, the warning that that should have given to everybody was not fully heeded.

I think it was hard for people to imagine that al Qaeda would then attack later in the United States, even though they attacked a wide range of American targets in Africa and Yemen, and certainly, you know, when Bin Laden made these statements, he strongly implied he would attack the United States as well.

WHITFIELD: Peter Bergen, thank you so much, what a reflection, "The Nineties." The full episode of "The Nineties, Terrorism Hits Home," is tonight at 9:00 eastern time only on CNN.

Also tonight, the CNN Original Series, "History of Comedy," shows us how some comedians push the limits on network television with satire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea was parody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are there newspapers all over the place?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Political satire, crazy characters, sketches. Anything that was fun that you wanted to try, that a network would never put on.

ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, COMEDIA: I would like to welcome my first guest, Jessica Chestain.

JESSICA CHASTAIN, ACTOR: Jessica Chastain --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With "Between Two Ferns," you had a program that's a it's a send off (ph) of talk shows so, it's a satire of talk shows.

GALIFIANAKIS: Really interested in the work you've been doing down in Haiti. Tell us a little bit about that. Is there a Six Flags down there?

SEAN PENN, ACTOR: There's none, no.

GALIFIANAKIS: We can move on.

KEEGAN MICHAEL KEY, ACTOR: The new media stuff, especially sites that are just for comedy, I think that they are good thing for the business especially funny or die, which is great because there is democratization there.

WHITFIELD: And of course you can watch the full episode tonight at 10:00, only on CNN. That's going to do it for me. Thanks so much for being with me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Have a great week now. The "Newsroom" continues right now with Ana Cabrera.

ANA CABRERA, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Hell, you are in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Great to have you with us. Washington is pretty quiet this weekend. The president is away. Congress taking the month off and not every office is dark. The special counsel team investigating a Trump White House in the 2016 election is working as the group the president insists is on a witch hunt.

Now, according to the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee this weekend, developments over the past few days, seem to show that investigators led by former FBI chief Robert Mueller have something solid enough to move on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: Instead, if these allegations are true, it's moving into a new phase with the impaneling of a grand jury so the special counsel can subpoena witnesses and documents, that wouldn't be taking place if there was no evidentiary basis to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:59:56] CABRERA: Now, whatever that evidence is, only that special counsel team knows at this point, but they did something unprecedented this weekend, reportedly asking the White House for paperwork related to former national security adviser Michael Flynn and whatever financial arrangements Flynn has had with the government of Turkey.